Back to December
by Sammyhime
Summary: Ben thought he was leaving Albion for good, but it turns out freedom isn't all it's cracked up to be. Ben x Princess
1. Pride

Sammy: So, this is my first fan fiction! Well, not exactly I just haven't written anything in about 5 or so years, so bear with me. I just wanted to show Ben some love, because I couldn't in-game.. ): Also FYI this has spoilers, so if you haven't finished Fable III (and I don't know why you'd be reading if you haven't) don't read!

This was inspired by Taylor Swift's song "Back to December" (if you couldn't tell by the title) when I listen to it, I just think of Ben leaving to explore Albion without the Princess. It seriously plays like a music video in my head. XD; The song is a key element to me, so I did use some of the lines from it, hehe, when it's done please listen to the song! I hope it plays out somewhat like a music video like I wanted. :)

I do not own Fable III or any of it's characters, they are all owned by the amazing Lionhead studios.

Note: Oh, and just so everyone knows italicized parts are flashbacks! Enjoy~!

* * *

**Pride. It had always gotten the better of him.**

Ben was quite surprised that she had made the time to see him. After a year of almost no communication he half expected her to not even show, but there she was. The Queen of Albion, sitting there quietly. She had come dressed in casual wear, but she still glowed. Regardless of what she was wearing or how she wore her long auburn hair, she always looked like royalty to the ex-captain. Her green eyes were fixated on the pint of ale placed in front of her, it looked untouched, and by the look on her face he could tell that she was nervous. He wasn't quite sure if it was because of all the unwanted attention she was receiving from the villagers who gathered at the pub or if it was because of him... On second thought, he knew it was because of him.

"How've you been, Quinn?" He asked, unsure of how to break the awkwardness of the situation, she looked up at him with an unsure look on her face.

"I've been good, keeping myself busy." She answered, looking away halfway through the reply, her guard was up and it wasn't hard to tell. Most of the replies she had given him were all one word answers, "Mister Finn if all you have done is brought me here for small talk then I do believe you are wasting my time." Quinn was clearly becoming upset, they had been sitting in the pub for over an hour, and she had yet to hear what she came to hear.

"Then what pre-tell would you like to talk about, your _highness_." The blonde said, sarcasm dripping off his tongue like a leaky faucet. And there it was, his pride getting the better of him once again. He in-fact knew exactly what she wanted to talk about, the night he had left Albion supposedly for good. She looked back at him, her green orbs meeting his icy blue ones, and with that look he knew that cold winter day was still burned in the back of her mind.

* * *

_"Ben, please..." The young queen pleaded, grabbing his hand in an attempt to stop the rugged soldier from pressing on, "Stay with me.." She was fighting desperately to keep the tears back. He had made it to the Bowerstone docks before she had caught wind of his departure. Which was a few hours earlier than anticipated, the plan being to disappear for good without saying any goodbyes. Oh how he hated goodbyes._

_"Qu, I just can't." He whispered just loud enough for her to hear, he had stopped but didn't bother to turn around to look at her, instead looking up at the cloudy sky, "I can't pretend to be some noble general anymore, I'm just a scoundrel, I was never cut out for this.."_

_Thunder boomed, as the sky became darker, it rained quite frequently during the winter in Bowerstone, never being quite cold enough to snow unfortunately. Quinn squeezed the hand she had grabbed a hold of at the sound of the thunder, looking down at it feeling the need to look at something._

_"I never wanted you to pretend to be someone you're not, It doesn't matter to me if you're a noblemen or a beggar." She moved closer, placing her head against his back, tears beginning to fall freely from her eyes as she grabbed a hold of his shirt with both hands, "All I ever wanted from you was to be the smart-mouthed, playful, caring man I fell in love with." Her voice was shaking as she cried into his shirt._

_It began to rain at this point, if he didn't leave now, he would lose his chance because of the oncoming storm. Slowly the captain turned around, feeling the grip on his shirt lessen as he did so. Quinn was now the one not wanting to return his gaze, she kept her head low, tears still falling down her face, all though it was hard to tell with the rain pouring down._

_"I'm sorry, your majesty." Ben placed his hand under her chin, moving it up, forcing her to look him in the eyes. He needed her to look him in the eyes as he spoke, "This is goodbye."_

* * *

"Why does she have to be so bloody stubborn!" Ben screamed to no one in particular, getting a strange look or two from random townsfolk. He stuck his hands in his pockets in frustration, he was walking down the road that led to the castle, playing back the previous day in his head. Quinn was right to leave when she did, he was the one after all who asked her to meet him, and he had no right to treat her the way he had. He knew that, but never would admit it out loud and he would for sure never admit it to her. "Why can't things just go back to the way they were?"

* * *

_"Ben?" the princess questioned, brining her legs up to her chest hugging them tightly. He sat next to her at the water's edge of Bowerlake, she had asked him to sneak her away for the night, needing a break from all the revolution business. It had been a hot summer day and the lake seemed like the perfect getaway._

_"Hm?" He looked at her, becoming a little disappointed when he found her still staring at the lake. "Why Princess, it is quite rude to ignore your date." the rebel teased, waiting for her blush, he loved that she did so easily._

_"This isn't a date!" She turned a light shade of pink not wanting to look him in the eyes at this point._

_"And how could you ignore such a devilishly handsome bloke such as myself?" He continued on, moving a bit forward in an attempt to have a better view of her face. "I, for one, can't fathom how anyone could resist me." he winked just as her eyes met his._

_"Oh shut up, Ben." She laughed, her face turning a deep crimson now, "I never would have guessed, with confidence such as yours, that any respectable woman could not fall head over heals for you." she teased back, in an attempt to regain her composure._

_"Is that a confession?" His tone wasn't quite joking but not quite serious either, "Because I will say, if it was, I honestly expected better from you." He smirked, knowing she would look away in embarrassment. To his surprise she didn't, she looked him in the eyes for a moment, without saying a word she began to move her face closer to his, lips parting ever so slightly._

_Ben was taken aback at first, though he was never the type to turn down a kiss from a beautiful woman. Closing his eyes instinctively, he waited in anticipation for their lips to meet, but there was nothing. The next thing he knew he felt his gravity shift in the direction of the lake, caught off guard he tried to regain his balance but it was to no avail._

_There was a loud splash, and then sounds of laughter coming from the princess. Now he was the one blushing, sitting in the shallow water soaked to the bone. He half wanted to pick her up and throw her in too, but resisted the urge. Instead he watched her laugh, giving her this small victory._

_"Oh, laugh it up girly." The young soldier smiled, the sound of her laughter always brought a smile to his face. "I'll get that kiss one day."_

* * *

Ben smiled to himself, the memory coming back to him like it happened yesterday, she was so innocent and full of life back then. Nothing like how she was in the pub, but who was he to blame her? He mentally kicked himself, knowing damn well that he was the one who had betrayed her. Back then, she had done nothing but given him her love and affection.

When Major Swift was executed, she gave him a shoulder to cry on. When he was injured in battle, she was the who treated his wounds. When ever he needed help, she was always the first to volunteer. It was always her, she never complained, never asked for anything in return. She gave him everything with a smile and all he gave her was goodbye.

* * *

_"You can't go..!" Quinn cried out as she watched him walk away, her mind screamed at her legs to move but the shock from the situation prevented her from doing so, "You're all that's left.. You're the only one, you can't leave me too!" her legs gave out and she fell to her knees, making a small splash in the puddle that had formed from the heavy rain. "When Walter died y-you promised me! You said you'd never leave, Ben..!"_

_He looked back at her as he stepped onto the boat, watching as she cried into her hands. It took almost every fiber of his being to stay on the boat. It pained him to see her this way, but the thought of being stuck in one place, for his freedom to roam the world being taken away from him. He couldn't bear the thought, the fear in his heart was more painful than the scars that would remain on his conscience from this day on._

_Ben had betrayed her, her trust, her friendship… and her love. He wasn't sure if he would be able to live with himself after that day, but he had to try._

* * *

Sammy: Sorry guys! I really didn't want to make this into a multi chapter fic, but it was getting really long, and I can't decide how I want to end this. Seriously, I've re-written the ending like.. probably five times now this past week. XD

Oh and I know the name Quinn probably isn't the best name for a Queen (Queen Quinn hurpaderp lol) But I'm so in love with the name, I couldn't help it. D: Plus if you're anything like me you probably just replace the Queen/Princess' name with your Hero's name if you don't like it, hehe. xP

Anyway enough of my rambling, thank you so much for reading, please review if you can, criticism is always welcome as long as you're nice about it? ): The ending is somewhat finished so, hopefully it'll be up soon.


	2. Freedom

**Sammy:** I'm sorry this has taken so long, life has been very crazy for me. My laptop also died so I didn't have a computer AND I re-wrote most of this all on Google Docs with my iPhone. WHICH WAS THE WORST SHIT IN THE WORLD BTW. But, I finally got a new computer for my birthday which is amazing..! 3 Annnnd I've gotten into making plushies and have been working on this guy! (sammyhime . deviantart . com/#/d4ak9py Remove spaces) *shameless plug*

Anyway I'll stop now~! Once again I'm VERY sorry for the delay, and I hope you enjoy! :]

I do not own Fable III or any of it's characters, they are all owned by the amazing Lionhead Studios.

* * *

"I'm here to see her majesty, the queen of Albion." Ben told the guard after being asked what his business at the castle was. He had fought with himself multiple times, turning around then back again, finally deciding to go through with seeing Quinn.

"I'm sorry sir, but the queen as requested no visitors." The guard told him flatly.

"What? Are you daft? Why in the bloody hell did you ask what my business was when you knew I couldn't go in?" The blonde man questioned, irritated that the guard didn't just tell him to leave in the first place.

The guard gave the ex-captain the up and down, narrowing his eyes as he spoke "I'm under strict orders to not let _you _in, Mister Finn." he said dryly, "I was just making sure that it was in fact you."

"So, that's the way she's gonna have it then?" Ben said to himself, the guard gave him a puzzled look, but didn't reply. Was he angry? You bet, but taking it out on the guard wasn't going to do him any good. Though it did take a whole lot of willpower to not pop the snide prick in the jaw. For the hell of it he did perform the motion, which made the guard jump back in fear, letting out a small scream that could easily be mistaken for a young child's. "Oh, and do tell the queen that she should higher some real men to guard her castle." he smirked as he turned around and walked away.

* * *

_Quinn stood in the garden of the castle, it was fall now and the leafs were doing their normal color change. The sun was just starting to set, making them glow, if she didn't know better she'd think they were made of hot embers._

_The final battle was approaching and Ben wasn't quite sure why the young queen had asked him to meet her out here, he had an idea, but the captain decided to keep his inner thoughts to himself. _

"_Your majesty?" He joked, knowing that she hated when he didn't call her by her name. To his surprise, she didn't react, he knew at that moment that something was amiss. "Qu? What's wrong?" The captain asked, concern in his voice, he walked up to her placing his hands on her slender shoulders. He looked down at her, but she didn't meet his gaze, suddenly finding her boots to be far more interesting. With a sigh, he pulled her into an embrace, his right hand making its way to her head while the left moved to the small of her back. "Are you just gonna stand there all comatose? Or are you gonna to tell me what's wrong?"_

_They stood in silence for a good moment, concern building in the pit of Ben's stomach. He felt her small hands move to his chest and latch onto his shirt. Looking down at her, she finally met his blue eyes. _

"_I'm scared..." The young woman spoke barely above a whisper, looking away in fear of his reply. _

"_See? Was that so hard?" He half joked, moving his left hand in soft circles around her back. She started to cry softly, he could tell that she was trying her best not to, the death grip she was giving his shirt told him that. "Come on, you know you have nothing to fear with this dashing, talented soldier by your side." He moved back, his hands finding her shoulders once again, kneeling down so he could see her expression, "Come on Qu, give me a smile so I don't feel like such a failure." _

"_I'm sorry, I never wanted you to see me like this." Quinn said softly while wiping stray tears from her eyes. "I just don't know if I can do this.." she confessed, "So many people are depending on us, on __**me **__and I'm afraid that I wont be able to defeat the Darkness.. That I wont be able to save everyone." She looked him in the eyes once again, trying to find comfort in his gaze. _

"_Don't you worry your little royal head." The young captain spoke, placing his calloused hand on her cheek, "I'll be right by your side, 'till the very end." _

_She closed her eyes, a smile forming on her face as she placed her hand over his. Ben was happy that she was finally smiling. She had only cried once in front of him while talking about a boy named Elliot, but it was nothing like this. A smile was definitely a refreshing sight, and he found himself closing his eyes in relief. A small sigh escaped his lips as he returned to his normal posture. _

_He opened his eyes as he felt hands wrap around his neck, finding emerald orbs staring back at him, stopping in their tracks. Quinn didn't have to speak, it was as if her eyes were asking if she could continue, if it was okay to cross the line that they both were always afraid to cross. The feeling of fear always seemed greater than the pent up feelings they both shared, but the longing in her eyes clouded his judgment. _

_Without a word, he gave her a answer, closing the gap and brushing his lips over hers ever so slightly. He waited for her eyes to close before moving his rough hands around her waist, closing his eyes as well. Opening them again almost immediately when he felt the younger girl pull on his neck to deepen the kiss. He smiled against her lips, happy with her reaction. _

_He had lost track of how many times he had wanted to kiss her before, one night in particular came to mind as they parted. The captain's smiling lips slowly turned into a sly smirk before opening his mouth. _

"_See... I told you I'd get that kiss one day."_

* * *

Ben had to see her again, finding it nearly impossibly to sleep after the day's previous engagements. He didn't care that she didn't want to see him anymore, he needed to see her, he needed to make things right.

The blonde had managed to sneak into the castle's garden undetected, luckily for him the place hadn't changed too much. He just hoped that Quinn still preferred to sleep in her childhood bedroom rather then the royal bed chambers, which would be near impossible to get to with the guards roaming the halls.

He quietly made his way up the stairs, having to duck behind the banister at the sight of a few guards patrolling through the garden below. He made his way to the door crouching as they passed, keeping out of sight until they walked back into the castle. The ex-capitan let out a sigh of relief and stood back up, placing his hand on the door handle and with a deep breath he began to open the door. It opened with a slight creek that made him stop for a moment, continuing when he noticed the queen's sleeping form.

The room was dimly lit by a bedside lamp, he could barely make her out, but he was certain that it was her. Just as he began to move closer he heard something land on the ground and run towards him.

"Oh no..."

Before his eyes had a chance register to their new surroundings, he found a large furry creature jumping up and pushing him to the ground, barking happily while attacking his face with a flurry of kisses.

"Shhhh! Scout, stop it!" he hissed, sitting up and trying his best to shield his face from the assault as quietly as he could. To his utter disappointment the lights in the room became brighter and he heard an all too familiar voice shouting for the dog to sit. Scout did as he was told and sat next to the, now slobber covered ex-captain, wagging his tail happily.

"Ben, what in the name of Avo do you think you're doing?" The queen almost shouted but stopped herself after she realized she used his first name. She had moved out of her bed during the commotion and was standing by the end of it, arms crossed. She was wearing, what looked like to Ben, and over sided soldier's shirt that went down to her mid-thigh, and from what he could tell no pants.

"Quinn, I-I just w-wanted to...to..." He began fumbling with his words for probably the first time around her, also finding it rather difficult to focus on anything but her bare legs.

"My face is up here." She sighed, a hint of pink finding its way to her cheeks, watching as the blonde found his way back to his feet. He dusted himself off lightly and looked up at her, his face for once not sporting his trademark smile.

"Qu, I just wanted to apologize, for the other day... I was being an arse." He began after a moment, taking a few steps toward her, which made her in turn, take a few steps back. This seemed a bit odd to him, he knew she wouldn't be afraid of him with her strength. She almost seemed nervous, like she was hiding something. He inspected her form once again and noticed something very familiar.

"T-Thank you, Mister Finn.. I-I accept your apology, now if you don't mind could you lea-"

"Is that my old uniform shirt?" He cut her off, the tone of his voice sounding a tad bit flatter then he intended and judging by the embarrassed look on the young queen's face, he hit the nail right on the head.

"W-What are you talking about? This is just some old night shirt I..." Quinn turned away, her face was now bright red and one of her crossed arms had made it's way to her stomach to hide her shame. "Please, can you just go?"

Ben's heart sank, even after all this time she still kept something of his, he couldn't even imagine how hard it must have been for her after he left. Let alone how she must of felt after seeing him the other day, he could have made it right again if he just swallowed his pride and told her how he felt.

Without speaking he quickly approached her and wrapped his muscular arms around her shoulders, placing a hand on the back of her head. She didn't try to push him away, which to the ex-captain seemed like a good sign.

"I'm so sorry, Quinn..." He whispered into her ear, "For leaving that night, and for being a coward... I realized freedom was worthless if it meant missing you as much as I did." He moved his hands over her shoulders to pull away and look her in the eyes. "You were the best damn thing to ever happen to my sorry life and I was an idiot for not realizing it sooner." He lowered his head, trying to think of what to say next.

"...If you gave me another chance, I swear-" He paused, closing his eyes to think for a good moment, "You know what? ...I don't even deserve another chance." He sighed, opening his eyes again to give her a somber smile.

Placing his hands into his pockets he started to make his way to the door. Quinn bit her lower lip, wanting to say something but her mind wasn't processing everything clearly. Without thinking she began to make her way towards him when he suddenly stopped, which made her almost bump into him. He started to speak without turning back around, knowing she was close.

"I know I can't, but if I could go back, I'd change it all." The ex-captain began, looking up at the high ceiling as he continued, "And just know, I understand... If you never want to see m-", he stopped as he felt a set of hands wrap around his arm and turn him around. Before he could register what was happening he felt a sharp pain as the monarch slapped him across the face.

"I suppose I deserved that..." The blonde chuckled, turning his head back to look her in the eyes. He touched his sore cheek for a moment, as if to make sure that she really hit him.

"That's for leaving, and for being an arse." Quinn smiled putting her hand over his cheek, the look in her eyes told him how much she had missed him. They seemed brighter than before, but they still held a bit of sadness to them.

"Is this the part where all is forgiven and you kiss me then?" Ben teased, his trademark grin finding it's way back to his face as he placed his rough hand over hers.

"I'm not going to forgive you _that _easy." The young girl laughed, standing on her tip toes to place a small peck on his opposite cheek, "But this was _definitely _a good start."

* * *

**Sammy:** Holy crap, I've written this ending probably 10 times now, and I'm still not 100 percent happy with it, but it's pretty close. It's way better then all the other endings I had tried.. *cough* I was so tempted to make this a sad ending, but after re-reading the first chapter, I don't think we needed anymore sad. XD; I do have another story in mind that is a somewhat prequal to this, but it's more focused on Quinn so keep an eye out for that?

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! :D Please review if you can~


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